Wyoming’s High-Altitude Food by Ruth Paget
On the way to and from Wisconsin, my Californian family drove over the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming to go to a family reunion. The top of the Rockies around Laramie, their highest point, have rounded, black peaks devoid of snow and antelope grazing way up high in the 2020s.
On visits to Yellowstone National Park, my family has also discovered that the high altitude whets the appetite, especially after hiking and alters baking times.
I found several dishes that all go well with coffee, the always acceptable drink in Wyoming, in my souvenir cookbook entitled A Taste of Wyoming: Favorite Recipes from the Cowboy State by Pamela Sinclair that might interest other cooks:
-blueberry kuchen or coffee cake brought by German immigrants to Wyoming, who make up the largest immigrant group in the state
-ten-grain pecan pancakes with sautéed apples
-mushroom risotto to go with the states beloved meat dishes
-roasted garlic mashed potatoes to go with meat dishes -wild rice salad
–a Native American dish made with chicken, celery, apple, cranberries, and walnuts
-Basque lamb stew made by descendants of immigrants from the Basque country in Spain and France
-Yellowstone drug store vanilla shake – a great way to end a day of hiking
Cooks interested in expanding their repertoire might enjoy A Taste of Wyoming by Pamela Sinclair to relive grand moments in Wyoming and eat well, too.
By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
